How can I help?: Two Chey
ennes in the Clinton town jail
get counsel from Lawrence H.
Hart, center, who has dedi
cated his life to aiding fellow
Indians. The Cheyenne chief
and onetime Marine Corps pi
lot acts as director of the Com
mittee of Concern, a group
that strives to remedy the
Indians' plight: a 45 percent
dropout rate among school
children, widespread alcohol
ism, and, often, a disregard for
time that hinders jobholding.
For braves gone to war,
Cheyenne women of Clinton
gather in prayer. Intensely
proud of their sons' patriot
ism, the War Mothers organize
farewell and homecoming
ceremonies. They wear vivid
cloaks to ensure that others in
the community do not forget
those in uniform.
Nearly 100,000 Indians live
in Oklahoma, an eighth of all
those in the United States.